Canadian Stamp Celebrates 60 Years of Confederation

The Canadian 20 cent stamp celebrates 60 years of Confederation. The Canada of 1927 looked quite different than today. While the country already had nine provinces (all except Newfoundland) and two territories, the population sat at just under 10 million. Canada was on the cusp of switching from a rural to an urban based society. The 1921 census showed that while 49% of Canadians lived in urban areas, only 51% lived in rural areas.

Transportation had played a huge role in Canada's development. In 1885, Donald Alexander Smith had driven the last spike into the British Columbia soil marking the first transcontinental railroad in Canada. Mail travelling by train arrived much quicker than by pony express. In 1926, Western Canada Airways opened, providing cargo service to Northwestern Canada. At a time before passenger flights, "airmail was the backbone of aviation" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Airways).

In 1927, the Special Delivery Stamp was issued, showing the Canada of old along side the new Canada. The stamp featured five methods of special delivery service: air, ship, train, horseback and dog sled. The stamp was unique as it was the only Special Delivery stamp that doesn't have the word "delivery" and it isn't shaped horizontally. Also, the Confederation stamp was the first to depict a dog, an airplane, an ocean liner or a horse.